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Stressed residents demand answers from strained council during tense meeting

Members of the public listen to debate on the Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee Bylaw during the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo council meeting, in Fort McMurray Alta. on Tuesday June 14, 2016. David Bloom/Postmedia Network

The stress and tension of the post-fire recovery was made clear during Tuesday night’s council meeting, as Wood Buffalo residents forcefully voiced their frustrations with council and the municipality.

It was standing room only in the council chamber, as more than 100 residents sought seats to watch the proceedings and waited for their turn to speak. Even in an overflow room created in the lobby, there were more people than chairs, with many sitting on the floor to watch proceedings on a television screen.

It was the first council meeting held in Fort McMurray since the fire, and dozens of residents were keen to speak their minds on a proposed recovery task force and access control bylaw.

Mayor Melissa Blake began the meeting with a prepared speech, praising the resilience of the community and acknowledging the simmering frustration of residents, especially those who lost their homes.

“Many feel rightly frustrated that no clear answer that been given to them,” Blake said.

She said toxicity tests had been done in all affected areas. More was being done to assess the safety and hazards of these neighbourhoods.

“There will be no easy answers and this process will take time,” she said.

But patience was thin among the assembled crowd. During debate on the post-fire recovery committee, resident Hans Zundel asked if homeowners in Waterways, Abasand and Beacon Hill would be represented on the committee.

Blake said mass consultation of residents would hopefully be part of the committee’s mandate. Zundel, 49, countered that there had not been any consultation yet.

“Don’t be afraid to tell us that you don’t have anything to give,” he said, arguing this exchange counted as consultation.

Much of the night was spent debating and amending the bylaw to create a Wood Buffalo recovery committee, which would create three full-time councillor positions.

The nominees for those three full-time positions are Coun. Sheldon Germain, Coun. Keith McGrath, and Coun. Allan Vinni.

McGrath proposed several amendments to the bylaw, including adding six community-at-large seats to the committee.

Bill Loutit, vice-president of McMurray Métis, told council the Métis local wanted a seat on the committee, as many of their members had lived in Abasand, Beacon Hill, and Waterways. The local also lost their Sakitawaw Trail office.

Other residents lectured council on the importance of acting quickly, arguing every week without action increased the financial burden on those who lost their homes.

Tensions on council boiled over when Blake said she was unwilling to support passing the amendments since they were not discussed adequately in previous in-camera sessions.

In particular she took note of a section of the bylaw that said the mayor could not be an ex-officio committee member, and therefore could not attend meetings as was customary for council committees.

“That is a slap in my face,” Blake said. “I am offended by that.”

“This is not new news,” McGrath countered, saying that the provision had been introduced last week. “You can twist it any way you like in public.”

The section was eventually removed, but Blake maintained the other amendments needed more time to review.

Coun. Jane Stroud objected to the proposed bylaw, which would increase the pay of part-time councillors to $75,000, and the pay of the mayor and the three proposed full-time councillors to $150,000.

The tangle of red tape clearly angered most of council and the audience.

“I want to apologize to the gallery because this is embarrassing,” Coun. Tyran Ault said, to widespread applause.

In the end, Blake and Stroud’s opposition meant third and final reading of the bylaw will wait until the next council meeting.

Council also passed the access control bylaw, after carefully amending it to ensure only people who were not residents of Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways would be fined for entering the restricted areas without permission.

A further amendment meant that instead of reviewing the need for the bylaw after 90 days, administration would review it in six weeks.

Council voted 9-2 to pass the third and final reading of the amended bylaw, with McGrath and Coun. Phil Meagher voting against.

Council seemed chastened by the feedback by the end of the long meeting, which ended well after 11 p.m. Not all councillors were content with what council had approved, including Coun. Lance Bussieres.

“Starting tomorrow, I hope we as a council, and administration, do a better job,” he said.